Liquid fuel burning apparatus



Dec. 29,A 1936. G. F. HoDGEs ET AL y 2,056,039

LIQUID FUEL BURNING APPARATUS Filed June 19, 1933 WIC# ATTOR N EYS Patented Dec. 29, 1936 LIQUID FUEL BURNING APPARATUS George F. Hodges and Fernando B. Cota, San Ysidro, Calif.

Application June 19, 1033, Serial No. 676,554

1 Claim.

rEhis invention relates to liquid fuel burning apparatus and has particular reference to one in which the burner is started by cold vaporization secured by a carbureting action in which air under pressure from the fuel tank impinges upon a nozzle supplied with liquid fuel from the tank, and in which a vapor generator is heated by the burner and receives the combustible mixture secured by cold vaporization only so long as it takes for the generatorto become heated sufciently for hot vaporization of liquid fuel, whereupon a thermostatic valve heated along with the generator is operated to shut olf the delivery of air from the tank.

With these and other objects in view this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of our invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing; in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view illustrating a liquid fuel burning apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view illustrating the generator portion of the apparatus and the thermostatic means located adjacent thereto for controlling air under pressure to the apparatus.

Figure 3 is an end view illustrating the same.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral I indicates the main fitting or body of a liquid fuel burning apparatus having a mixing chamber 2 communicative with a generator tube 3 to which a suitable burner 4 is connected. A nozzle or jet 5 is located at one end ofthe chamber 2 and is communicative with a. fuel passage E connected by a coupling l to a fuel supply pipe 8. The jet or nozzle at its discharge end is flared, as shown in Figure 4, and communicative with the chamber 2 laterally of the discharge or 'flared end of the jet or nozzle is an air passage 9 communicative with a chamber I formed in an enlargement II on the tting I and which communicates with a bore I2 to receive a valve element I3 carried by an expansible and contractible stem IB. The bore l2 is connected through another coupling, like the coupling l, to an air supply pipe I and when the valve I3 moves into the bore I 2 the supply of air is gradually reduced and cut off to the chamber I0. The stem I4 is capable of sliding movement within the 'enlargement II and has onc end adjustably secured to a supporting frame` I6 by nuts I'I. The stem I4 is arranged to extend across the burner 4 with the generator tube 3 so as to be heated by the flame of the burner for expansion thereof. The stem thereby arranged to seat the valve I3 in thc bore I2 to interrupt the flow of air. The valve I3 is provided with a groove I3 to prevent sudden cut off of the air pressure as the valve enters the bore. l A fuel reservoir I8 contains a liquid fuel under air pressure and has connected thereto a secondary tting I9 provided with an air passage 2D and a fuel passage 2|. The air passage 20 is connected to the pipe I5 and the fuel passage 15 2l is connected to the pipe 8 and also.,has connected thereto a pipe or tube 22 extending downwardly in thel liquid fuel and terminating adjacent to the bottom of the reservoir.

The atomized fuel delivery from the main tting I through the generator tube 3 to the burner 4 is controlled by a hand valve 23, which includes the usual needle point for fine vadjustment of the orifice in the discharge end of the tube 3, the point being shown projecting from the discharge end of the tube in Figs. 1 and 2.

The drawing, for the purpose of convenience, has been made showing the various ports and passages larger than in the actual construction. Thus, for example, the opening in the fuel nozzle 5 is preferably, though not necessarily, .045 dia1neter;' the air passage 8 is preferably, though not necessarily, .028l diameter, and the discharge opening of the valve 23 is prefeia-bly,L though not necessarily, .025 diameter. The mixing chamber 2 which, it will be noted, is enlarged to accommodate the flared end of the fuel nozzle 5 is so proportioned with respect to the flared end as to leave, preferably, a very small clearance around it for air flowan actual construction provided .0015 clearance. This slight clearance had the effect of restricting the air dow to the desired extent with relation to the fuel delivery, thus enabling dispensing with a separate air valve. However, the principal ad- 4 vantage of this lies in the fact that better vaporization results due tothe thinness of the stream of air flowing past the periphery of the fuel nozzle. In fact, experiment proved that the'smaller this clearance was made the'better was the va- 5 porization secured.

In operation, when the cold burner is 'to be started, the hand valve 23 is opened and combustible mixture produced by cold vaporization is discharged from the generator tube 3 to the 5 burner and ignited there, in any suitable manner. The air under pressure entering the chamber 2 impinges upon the fuel nozzle 5, annularly with izing point and has also heated the stem I4 suiliciently to close the valve I3l and shut oi the flow of air from the tank I8, after which only liquid fuel is discharged from the tank into the mixing chamber 2 and ows from the chamber 2 in liquid f form into the generator tube 3 for vaporization at that point, before delivery as a combustible vapor to the burner 4 in the usual way. There is a transition stage in which as the valve I3 gradually closes, less and less air is supplied to the mixing chamber, due to the action of the metering groove I3', so that the mixture prod'ced in the chamber 2 gets richer and richer, until inally raw fuel'is delivered to the generator I from the chamber 2. The generator 3, therefore, assumesklts duty gradually as it heats up and at the proper temperature for the closing of the valve I3, the tube 3 is ready for the full duty Q of vaporizing raw fuel. When it is desired to shut of! the burner, it is only necessary to close the valve 2l.

While we have shown and describedl the prei'erred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction. combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. as claimed.

Having described the invention, we claim:

In a liquid fuel burning device, a heating burn-y er substantially horizontally disposed, a vapor generator therefor substantially horizontally disposed over said burner so as to be heated by the flame thereof, means for supplying liquid fuel under pressure to said generator, including a body having a mixing chamber therein, means for supplying air under pressure to said mixing chamber, a valve for controlling air flow into said chamber, a thermostatic element, one end of which is movable relative to said body, said element being substantially horizontally disposed over the burner so as to be heated by the name thereof, said element being arranged to close said valve when heated to a predetermined temperature. and a lsupporting trame rigid with said body but extending beneath theburner so as to be out of the heat zone thereof, said frame having the other end of said element `iixed thereto for support. v

GEORGE F. HODGES. FERNANDO B. COTA.- 

